Wednesday House Call May 13, 2015: Tree sap anyone?
Dr Barry Dworkin joins Rob Snow to discuss the latest health stories of the week.
Today:
1) When should a person take their child to the CHEO emergency room, and when should they just visit their family doctor (if they have one), or visit a walk-in clinic. CHEO says on an average day 80 to 100 of the 200 patients in their emergency room could have been treated effectively by a family doctor.
2) Home care. What are your experiences, if any, with helping your patients get home health care? Do you have any examples you can share? “Ontario’s disjointed home-care system and the 14 local Community Care Access Centres (CCAC) that operate it have been under fire for years, mostly because of steep increases in executive compensation and accusations the organizations spend too much on administration and too little on front-line care. The heat is expected to be on the CCACs again soon when the province’s Auditor-General reveals the results of a special audit of their operations.”
3) Newest celebrity health fad. “Hydrate Naturally” with “plant water”. Top selling brands include Grace Aloe Vera Drink and Vita Coco and Mineral Infused Black Water. How about tap water?
4) Another woman gives birth without knowing she was pregnant, this time on an Air Canada flight from Calgary to Tokyo! “They were all excited about going and touring Japan, and then this pops out.”